Denji had managed to get himself situated in the inn's small room. Privacy was scarce, given the paper door connecting him to Kobeni and Reze's room. Angel sprawled out on a futon, engrossed in a magazine he'd found in the lobby.
"Hey, this place has a thing called a tiki bar," Angel mentioned, still immersed in his reading.
Denji, sitting on the ground, attempted to turn on the television in the room but gave up, placing the remote control down. He joined Angel, who turned the magazine around and pointed to a cored pineapple with an umbrella sticking out of it.
"That looks like alcohol," Denji remarked.
"Yeah, but they have non-alcoholic drinks and even food," Angel replied, flipping the page to reveal a picture of a pig with an apple in its mouth, slow-roasting over a fire.
"Oooooh," Denji's eyes widened, his mouth watering at the sight of the various delectable dishes. The temptation was real, but then the reality of their situation hit him like a ton of bricks.
"It's not like we're going to get to try it, though," Denji sighed, passing the magazine back to Angel. "We're being hunted; we're probably going to be stuck in this inn until we leave. Besides, we don't have any money."
Angel, however, revealed a wad of cash with various bills in both rubles and yen. Denji moved closer, whispering, "How much is that?"
"I don't know, but it's maybe 20,000 yen. Is that good?" Angel replied.
Denji's eyes widened. "Angel, I spent the first 15 years of my life and never had 1,000 yen at any given time. At least not without it being owed."
Angel, with an infectious enthusiasm, suggested, "So let's go eat. We can sneak out tonight!"
Denji was curious, "Why do you want to do this so much?"
Angel leaned in, half-whispering, "I had a vision."
Denji was perplexed, "What? Like when you got shot?"
"No, when the plane went down. I had a near-death experience," Angel explained.
Denji, intrigued, asked, "What happened?"
Blushing slightly, Angel recalled the experience. "I talked to someone from my past, and I saw Kobeni."
Denji's focus shifted immediately. "Wait, you saw Kobeni?"
"Kind of," Angel replied, rubbing the back of his head. "It wasn't really her; she was all cryptic, and her eyes were different."
Denji remembered, "They were orange and blue, right?"
Angel looked surprised. "Yeah, they were. She was going on about life and death."
As they discussed Angel's experience, a small noise emanated from the paper sliding door. Both Denji and Angel turned their attention toward it. Denji slowly rose to his feet, placing one of his hands on the door handle, while Angel discreetly stashed the wad of cash back in his pocket. Tension hung in the air as Denji prepared to investigate the source of the sound.
Denji yanked open the sliding door to find Kobeni and Reze on their knees, pressing their heads against the wall where the door used to be. He couldn't help but exclaim, "Oi, what the heck?"
Kobeni raised her hands defensively. "R-R-Reze was trying to figure out what you all were saying."
Denji, hands on his hips, questioned her, "So why were you listening then?"
Kobeni stammered, "I-I-"
Her sobbing began, and Reze quickly intervened, "Okay, Denji, stop bullying Kobeni. We just wanted to hear what you two were whispering about."
Denji felt a twinge of guilt, seeing Kobeni cry. He exhaled with irritation and turned his attention toward Reze. "Why were you two spying on us?" Angel asked, clearly upset.
Kobeni explained, "We just wanted to make sure you weren't planning to run off or something."
Denji inquired, "And what would be wrong with that?"
His question hung in the air, and Denji quickly regretted it when he saw Kobeni's crying stop. He looked toward Reze, who appeared momentarily saddened. "I wanted to stay in Saint Petersburg longer, Kobeni. We didn't have to worry about anything there," Reze lamented.
Angel gazed at the carpet and mumbled, "I wish we could have taken you along, Kobeni. You should have seen how good things were there. I wouldn't have minded staying there forever."
Denji walked back to where Angel was and announced to everyone, "Later tonight, let's go to that tiki bar. You didn't get to go with us last time, Kobeni; come with us this time." He pointed at a roasted pig in the magazine, but Reze had reservations.
Reze interjected, "We have an entire Devil Hunter squad monitoring us, and Makima herself is running around making sure we don't die because we are being actively hunted by international assassins. Maybe we should lie low."
In truth, Reze wasn't afraid of the other Devil Hunters or the international assassins. She had confidence in her and Denji's abilities to handle threats. However, the image of Makima's piercing yellow eyes haunted her, and she shivered at the thought of what would happen if they were caught.
Denji, undeterred, exclaimed, "Screw it, let's do it!" His excitement was palpable, and he threw his fist into the air. "Hell yeah! Let's go tonight. Me and Angel will try to grab a map from the welcome area."
As the three Fiends discussed their plan, Yoshida suddenly appeared from a ripple in reality behind Denji and Angel. Denji questioned him, "What the heck is with you? You're following me now?"
Yoshida calmly replied, "I was hired to protect you."
Denji gave him a warning, "Don't snitch on us to Makima."
Yoshida assured them, "As long as I can go with you, I won't say anything."
"Deal," Denji agreed, solidifying their unconventional alliance. The plan was set, and their adventure to the tiki bar was underway.
Denji looked towards the suitcase "now we need disguises."
"Denji," Kobeni called to him, her voice quivering, and she motioned for him to follow her toward the door of the inn. Denji's expression shifted, but he maintained his smile. He turned to Yoshida, who observed the situation, while Reze was engrossed in conversation with Angel.
"Are you okay?" Denji inquired as he joined Kobeni, who appeared concerned. "Back at the barracks, you told me you wouldn't rush in and that you would be safe. You're not going to break your promise, right?" She held his hand, seeking reassurance.
Denji's face reddened as he recollected Kobeni resting her head on his chest. "I'm going to keep my promise. I told you, even if I have to fight the whole world, I'd do it for you." Kobeni, overwhelmed with emotion, embraced him tightly.
"I don't want you to get hurt," Kobeni whispered, and her heart warmed as she felt his pulse quicken in response to her words.
"I'll try to stay safe, okay," Denji assured her. His hand moved from her shoulder to gently caress her cheek. Kobeni blushed, finding his shark-like teeth oddly endearing.
Denji turned back toward the inn, opened the door, and entered, letting it close behind him. Kobeni glanced to her right and spotted her paper-white doppelganger standing on a grassy patch. The grass and flowers surrounding it withered as a paper-white version of Denji sunk his sharp teeth into the doppelganger's throat. Despite the seemingly blood-soaked wound, the doppelganger wore a malevolent, near-psychotic smile. Tears streamed down its face.
Kobeni struggled to comprehend the surreal vision before her, her heart pounding with confusion and fear. Then, in an instant, both the doppelganger and the white-skinned Denji vanished, leaving the dead patch of dirt suddenly lush and thriving, as if the disturbing vision had never occurred.
In the shade of the diner, a man donning a long black trenchcoat and an elderly gentleman dressed in a tan-colored coat occupied a booth, leisurely sipping on their beverages. The man in the trenchcoat stretched his arms out and crossed his legs as he spoke, "So, that's the guy who caused you all that trouble, gramps?"
The older man nodded, his expression a mix of calm and anticipation. "I'm afraid so. He still owes quite a bit on his debt."
The man in the trenchcoat absorbed this information and observed, "I see. It seems he's got himself a cute-looking girl too."
The old man chuckled and cautioned, "Temper, temper." Then, a chilling smile crept across his face. "Miss Makima told us we can get our piece at nightfall. Just that the boy's heart is hers. You can do whatever you like to the girl, but the heart is our paycheck."
The elderly man's smile stretched to an almost inhuman length, a disconcerting sight. The man in the trenchcoat turned his gaze toward the beach and adjusted his brimmed cap as the sun began to dip below the horizon. The stage was set for the events to unfold in the approaching night.